The imagery of Pentecost may be important. Pentecost is a pilgrim-holiday also known as the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot. The holiday celebrated the Firstfruits of the harvest. The Festival of Weeks was the smallest of the three pilgrim festivals, falling 50 days after Passover (seven weeks), the late spring / early summer. This festival was an offering of two loaves made with the new wheat given in the firstfruit offering.
The point of the festival was “to declare God’s ownership of the land and his grace in bringing forth food. According to a tradition found in the book of Jubilees, Pentecost was the day on which Moses was given the Law (cf. Tob 2:1, 2 Mac 12:32). This tradition is based on the belief that the Israelites arrived at Sinai 50 days after the first Passover (Exod 19:1). Some scholars (Knox, Snaith) have made a connection between this tradition and the gift of the Holy Spirit (ie., Moses gave out the Law to Israel on this day, Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to the church). Fitzmyer thinks Luke was aware of the tradition since there are some indirect allusions to the giving of the Law in Acts 2, not the least of which is the image of fire descending (Exod 19:18).
It is at least possible to see the idea of “firstfruits” applied to the Holy Spirit. The new age has begun and the Holy Spirit has come for the first time. But we also need to consider two other potential “Pentecosts” in the book of Acts. In Acts 10 the Holy Spirit falls on Cornelius, a God-Fearing Gentile, and he speaks in tongues just like Pentecost. Peter makes this point clear in Acts 10:47, the Gentiles in Cornelius’ home received the Holy Spirit “just as we have.”
But there is a third reference to Pentecost in Acts 20:16. Paul is adamant that he reach Jerusalem before Pentecost if possible. This return to Jerusalem was dangerous, but Paul wanted to deliver the Collection from the Gentile churches at Pentecost if at all possible. Why? Because the sharing of gifts from the Gentile churches indicates that they too have received the Holy Spirit. Paul’s return to Jerusalem at Pentecost is calculated to highlight his “harvest” among the Gentiles. Three references to Pentecost is not unexpected since there are other repetitions of events on Acts (Cornelius’ conversion, Paul’s conversion, the rejection of Israel, etc.)
Whatever the intended imagery, the day represents the largest crowd in the Temple area after Passover. Peter and the other apostles are able to preach to large crowds of biblically-minded Jews gathered to worship God in the Temple (Acts 2-3). Is there anything in Peter’s sermon that makes some use of this Pentecost imagery? In other words, why is Pentecost the time God chose for the outpouring of the Spirit?
Bibliography: W. L. Knox, Acts, (NCB, Oxford: Clarendon, 1967), 80-84; N. Snaith, “Pentecost, the Day of Power,” ExpTim 43 (1931-32): 379-80.
9 comments
Comments feed for this article
January 19, 2013 at 3:16 pm
arenberg93
I believe that God timed the indwelling of the Holy Spirit during the Pentecost because it sends a bold statement. The Jews at this feast where followers of the law, and some may have been in the crowd screaming “crucify him” during the trail of Jesus. These Jews were not simply going to admit that they crucified the Messiah to protect their law. The Holy Spirit here is used to show these Jews that they definitely did sacrifice the Son of God. But despite their sin and betrayal, there is redemption and salvation in Jesus Christ. God uses the Pentecost to show that the law was dead, that there is a new salvation that is above the law. The traditions of the law here are replaced by the Holy Spirit and His work. And in working in and through biblical Jews who have background in the synagogues, he is providing validity to the gospel. Who are the Jewish people going to listen to? a bunch of gentiles who they have never considered worthy? or some of their own people who used to follow the law? God was very strategic in the timing and the placement of the Holy Spirit in order to push the gospel into the world.
January 21, 2013 at 12:05 am
SchutteZac
In examining Acts 2 and Peter’s speech, many things become clear as to why God had chosen Pentecost to be the time in which He had chosen to first pour out the Holy Spirit into believers. In the very first section of Peter’s sermon, he says, “And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity (2:17).” This verse offers two ideas: 1) God is not only signaling an end to the “Old Law” and the rise of a “New Creation,” but it occurs on the day that the old law was first given. It shows that the law has come full circle, and that it’s time as the governing principle of God’s followers is over. Second, it signals the beginning of a new celebration, which is that of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Just as God’s law was celebrated by Israel in the desert, Christ’s birth was celebrated by shepherds and Magi in a stable; the Holy Spirit is given its own introduction on the heels of the old law. God chose Pentecost for the significance of commemoration of God being with Israel, only now instead of the law, God poured out the Holy Spirit to those who would believe, giving Israel a new governing ideal.
January 21, 2013 at 8:57 pm
jbefus
I think it is interesting that the tradition for Pentecost is that it was the day Moses was given the Law. It would seem to symbolize movement from the Law to the gift of the Spirit. I think it is possible that is one of the reasons God timed it at the Pentecost, because God is starting to form His church at that time. After the Exodus, God gave Moses the Law for his people, to guide them. And then after Christ’s death and resurrection, God pours out the Holy Spirit on the large group of people during the Pentecost to be the Councilor for them. Many of the group gathered there were witnesses of Jesus being resurrected: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact” (v. 32). All these witnesses were gathered together waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as Jesus told them to wait in Luke 24:49.
January 21, 2013 at 9:40 pm
anthonybeaulieu
There is without a doubt and clear picture of God’s timing in the sending of the Holy Spirit and if we read before and after that, we understand why and how it plays out and what the big picture of it is. The Holy Spirit giving them the ability to speak in tongues and understand the Gospel in their own language is and was crucial to the movement of the Gospel and for Jews and Gentiles to worship God together in the Temple. I believe that it is a perfect time so that the people can truly declare God’s ownership of the land. I think that there is a conncection of the moses being given the law and God’s people being given the Holy Spirit. It was like a benchmark, the recieving of the Holy Spirit, it was a crucial and key moment. Ultimately, Peter and the other apostles were able to preach to large crowds that could understand them and recieve the message of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. The imagery is key to understand the key moment and the key needing of the Holy Spirit for people to believe and for it to spread.
January 21, 2013 at 9:59 pm
cameronlowe5
In reading Acts, and then fallowing it up with the reading of this post and its information on Pentecost, I think that it is clear as to why God chose to out pour His spirit during Pentecost. Dr. Long says that “The point of the festival was “to declare God’s ownership of the land and His grace in bringing forth food.” God, in out pouring His spirit, is in a way declaring those who follow Him to be His. Kind of like when those practicing Pentecost would bring in the first of the fruits to declare God’s ownership of the land. I think that God was making a point of reference when He chose this time to out pour His spirit. I think that He was saying that we are His, those who choose Him belong to Him and have the signs of His love and power through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, in a sense, parallels the harvesting of the first fruits by its indwelling among those who choose to follow God the Father. This out pouring is a transitional period in Christian history and its parallelism with Pentecost shows its importance, the choice of this time would have meant a lot more to the Jews at this time who would have been celebrating it but it can also give us in site into how God communicates through even the simple things such as choosing a significant time to send His Spirit.
January 21, 2013 at 10:08 pm
taczhompson
It seems to me that God is constantly using irony to teach lessons to people in different ways. This connection between Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit is just another example of this. I believe that Symbolism is an important part of teaching, because it helps to make things connect easier in people’s heads. I think it is a beautiful picture of timing that the coming of the Holy Spirit, which further abolishes the rule of the law, coincides with the coming of that very law. I wholeheartedly agree with Adam in that “it sends a bold message”. I have found it to be true, in my life, that sometimes in order for a lesson from God to really come through it requires a proverbial “slap in the face” to get it through. It is a powerful message to the Israelites present to renounce all of their old things, including their law, and giving a new meaning to Pentecost. All of this further emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit, and the real need there was, and still is, for its presence in the world.
January 21, 2013 at 10:21 pm
mronda
God’s choice to come down at Pentecost seems to be an eloquent way of re-establishing the law under the new covenant. The allusion Luke, in my opinion accurately, makes runs parallel to the delivery of the Ten commandments. Scripture displays countless moments of parallel in order to display God’s plan and Pentecost is one more example of this. The festival of Pentecost seems the only appropriate choice to complement Christ’s sacrifice in God’s new Passover. The importance of Pentecost being a harvest festival should not be overlooked in that it can be said that this is God’s giving of the first fruits of the Spirit to humanity.
January 21, 2013 at 10:24 pm
Steveroemer
It is amazing to see how God’s timing is always spot on. This is so true with Pentecost. Knowing that every Jew was in town for the festival and that the Jews from out of town spoke many different languages, this was the perfect time to do something miraculous so that it would spread like a hot youtube video. Not only did something miraculous happen, but it happened in everyone’s own language!
It is almost hard not to see that the timing of Pentecost was exactly when it was supposed to be according to God’s will. Unfortunately, although it can seem so evident that this was from God, there are still others who just will not accept it and blame it on the wine (Acts 2:13).
January 21, 2013 at 10:56 pm
nfisher2013
The pouring out of the Spirit not only marked the beginning of the last days, but it also marked the beginning of a completely new dispensation, namely, the dispensation of grace. Humanity is no longer bound by the law that was given to Moses. Christ brought the law of grace and offered humanity forgiveness for sins. Peter confirms this by culminating his sermon by revealing Jesus as Messiah in Acts 2:36. He also tells the Jews that they can be saved by repenting and being baptized. This is possibly one reason as to why God chose Pentecost to pour out His Spirit. Another reason could be that there was a large crowd that gathered at the Temple on this day, as Phil Long stated. With such a large crowd, Peter and the apostles would reach a large number of people, effectively spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth, as Jesus told them to do.